Collating and stapling are common features of higher end photocopiers. Prior to stapling, these systems move all of the sheets to be stapled until they are completely aligned with each other in an accumulator. This is typically accomplished by moving each sheet until it contacts and is stopped by a fixed registration surface.
Accumulators commonly feature rollers that touch the “just-printed” zone of the paper. This may result in either removal or smearing of the ink that has just been applied to the paper, particularly in systems that use a wet ink, such as inkjet printers.
Other paper registration systems include wings that require several parts and motors. These mechanisms are noisy and expensive.
An improved sheet registration system is desired.